Firing mechanism for use in armed mounts



1950 F. w. REINHOLD EIAL 7 2,495,822

FIRING MECHANISM FOR USE IN ARMED MOUNTS Filed May 9, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 g o /0 w [n pen 5am Frank M Eez' 72/2010 Jo/z nJ/Vczcz'qy'o wax Z Jan, 1950 F. w. REINHOLD ETAL FIRING MECHANISM FOR USE IN ARMED MOUNTS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 9, 1945 #50 fizz/en fans Fran/c 14 iQecnho/d llllllllllllllllllll l atented Jan. 195i NI'E'ED STATES TENT OFFICE FIRING MECHANISM FOR USE IN ARMED MOUNTS Application May 9, 1945, Serial No. 592,864

Claims.

This invention relates to ordnance and is illustrated as embodied in an improved firearm or armed mount of the Bofors 40 mm. type for use against small craft and airplanes.

In order to train a firearm or armed mount efiectively on relatively close, fast-moving airplanes, for example, said firearm must be capable of being swung rapidly in azimuth and elevation. Moreover, when the firearm is mounted on an unstable base of restricted area, such, for example, as the deck of a submarine, it is advantageous for a single gunner standing upon and walking about said deck to be able to train the gun both in azimuth and elevation upon the target.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved gun of relatively low caliber, which may be quickly and efiectively trained on a target by a single gunner, for use on submarines.

The illustrative firearm or armed mount comprises a gun freely swiveled for movement in elevation upon a support which is rotatably mounted for movement, together with the gun, in azimuth. There is secured to said support an arm which comprises a handle and is of suitable construction and arrangement to enable a gunner, gripping said handle with his left hand and walking, about the deck of the submarine, manually to move the support, together with the gun, in azimuth, a lever manually actuated by the right hand of the gunner being fulcrumed upon the support and operatively connected through driving connections to the gun for swinging the gun in elevation upon said support.

' The handle, which is carried by the arm and is normally secured to said arm by a latch, may be swung downward upon the arm by the gunner, after disengaging the latch, into a lowered firing position, thereby operating through firing mechanism a reciprocable firing plunger of the gun and thus causing the gun to be fired. Guns of the 40 mm. Bofors type are commonly fired by a foot treadle, the construction and arrangement of the gun being such that when the gun is set for single fire the firing plunger, in movin back from firing to idle position, tends to react with considerable force against said firing mechanism. Such reaction of the firing plunger against the firing mechanism is not particularly objectionable when the gun is being fired by the usual foot treadle, but if permitted to be transmitted back to a firing handle such as above described, which serves as a grip by the use of which the gunner manually moves the support, and accordingly the gun, in azimuth, the training of the gun on the target is seriously interfered with. Accordingly;

in the illustrated firearm said firing mechanism, in accordance with a feature of the present invention, comprises a cam which is movable in a fixed path disposed at approximately right angles to the path of reciprocation of the firing extent by the firing of the gun.

The illustrative firearm, in accordance with another feature of the present invention, has pivotally mounted upon the lever, in response to movement of which the gun is moved in elevation, a bracket comprising a handle carrying a detent which may be moved interchangeably into interlocking relation with any one of a plurality of holes in said lever, thereby enabling the gunner to secure the bracket in difierent positions upon the lever and thus insuring that said gunner is never pulled out of a natural sighting position in training the gun in elevation on the target.

When the gun is elevated below 30 it has a tendency to jump, with the result that the gunher, when using the handle fixed to the bracket, is likely to overcontrol the movement of the gun in elevation. It will be appreciated that when the gunis being fired at low elevations it does not have to be moved in elevation as fast as when it is firing at higher elevations, such, for example, as when it is being trained on overhead planes. Accordingly, when the gun is bein trained in elevation at low angles, speed in the training of the gun in elevation may be sacrificed to provide greater steadiness in said training. With the above considerations in view, the bracket, which is pivoted to the lever, has rotatably mounted on it a pinion which, when the detent is in interlocking engagement with one of said holes of the lever, is in meshing engagement with a rack secured to the gun support, the pinion having secured to it a crank, rotation of which by the right hand of the gunner causes the gun to rotate in elevation upon the support.

The above and various other features of the invention will be understood and appreciated from the following detailed description read in con- 3 nection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the illustrative firearm;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing on an enlarged scale portions of the rightside of the firearm;

Fig. 3 is a section on line III-III of Fig. 1 showing portions of the firing mechanism which are operatively connected with portions of firing mechanism illustrated in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view, partly broken away and partly in section, showing on a greatly enlarged scale portions of the firing mechanism illustrated in Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 shows in perspective portions of wellknown firing mechanism housedin va breech casing of the firearm;

Figs. 6 and 7 are side and plan views, respectively, showing portions of mechanism manually operated by a gunner to train ,thefirearm in elevation; and

Fig. 8 is a section on line VIII-YI II of Fig. 7.

The illustrative firearm or armedmountcomprises a gun 28 (Figs. 1 and 2) and a SllPDOIt or carriage 22 therefor, the gun being of the abovementioned Bofors 40 mm. type and comprising a recoiling barrel or tube 24 (Fig. ,1.) and a breech casing 26 (Figs. 1, 2 and 5) provided with trunnions 23 by which said casing is rotatably mounted for movement in elevation upon the support.

The support 22 is bolted or otherwise secured to a base 30 (Fig. 1) rotatably mounted upon roller bearings (not shown.) supported in a housing 34. The housing 34 is secured to a rigid frame (not shown) located just below a deck 36 of a submarine, for example, the arrangement being such that the turret shall interfere as little as possible with the free movement of a gunner, who manually trains the gun 20 both in azimuth andelevation, and an attendant, who places clips (not shown), each containing four cartridges, in ammunition guides 38 of the gun.

Secured to the lower end of the support 22 and extending to the left from said support .as viewed from the rear of the gun .25 is ,anarm 40. (Figs. 1. and 3) which is used by the gunner to swing the support 30 and, accordingly, the gun 2B is azimuth. The upper end of the arm 40 has bifurcations 42a, 4212 (Fig. 3) bored to supp rt vrotatably a pin 4 5 having secured to it by a screw 45 a handle 45 which the gunner grips with his left hand and swings downward to fire thegun through mechanism hereinafter described. When the gun 20 is idle, the handle 46 is rigidly secured to the arm fi'iflby a latch 48 which fits in registering slots 59 (Fig. 3), 52 (Figs. 1 and 3) formed in the handle and the bifurcation 42a ,and which has secured to it a guide pin 54 (Fig. 3) fitting in a recess 56 of the handle. A spring 55, which is housed in a recess 62 of the handle 46 and has extending into it a pin 62 secured to the latch 48, constantly urges the latch into the slot 52, in which position the latch prevents the handle from being swung downward by the gunner. The handle 55 may thus be considered as constituting part of the arm 4!].

Pivotally connected to an extension .64 (Fig. 3) of the handle 48 is the upper .end of a rod .66 (Figs. 1 and 3) the lower end of which is operatively connected to a lower arm of a bell-crank lever 68 (Fig. 1) mounted upon a fulcrum pin iii secured to'a boss of the arm 40. An upper arm of the bell-crank lever 68 .is pivotally con 4 nected to a rod 72 extending through a hole M in the support 22 and pivotally connected to a vertical arm 16 (Fig. 2) secured to the forward end of a shaft i8 rotatably mounted in a boss 80 of the support 22. Secured to the rear end of the shaft 78 is an arm 82 pivotally connected to a vertical actuating rod 84 '(Figs. '2 and 4) the upper end of which is pivotally connected by a pin 86 (Fig. 4) to a slide or cam 88 (Figs. 2 and 4) mounted for movement in a rectilinear guideway .90 (Fig. 4) formed in a bracket or carrier 92 mounted upon pins 94 secured to bosses 96 of the support 22, a rear vertical face of the slide at all times being in engagement with an opposed vertical face'of the bracket to insure against rotation of the slide in the guideway 90. The bracket 92 is constantly urged counterclockwise, as viewed in Figs. 2 and 4, by resilient means constituting a pair of springs 98 opposite ends of which are secured to the upper endacf the bracket and to the support 22, respectively, counterclockwise movement of the bracket being limited by the engagement of the bracket with a face If! (Fig. 2) of the support, said faceserving as .a stop.

The slide or cam .88 has formed integral with it a cam face I02 (Fig. 4) which is in .constant engagement with a slidable firing plunger [04 (Figs. 2 and 5) and is disposed .at a steep .angle to the path of rectilinear movement of said plunger, said slide, when the gun is idle, being in its raised position, shown in Figs. .2 and .4, in the.

gunner, preparatory to firing the gun, by sliding.

the latch 48 out of the slot 52, said handle is swung downward about the axis Hi] of the fulcrum pin 44, the cam or slide 88 operated through the above-described mechanism ,being moved downward in the guideway of the bracket'92, causing the firing plunger I84 to move to the left. as viewed in Figs. 2 and 5, in a rectilinear path in a bore H2 (Fig. 5) .of the right trunnion 28 un der pressure exerted by the cam face i92ag'ainst the outer end of said plunger. In firing the gun, the handle 46 is moved downward until the face I56 of the cam 88 engages the ledge 2080f the bracket 92, axes of the pins 86, 94 at such time being substantially in alinement.

To movethe firing plunger M4 to the left, as viewed in Figs. Zand 5, to fire the gun requires approximately eighty pounds pressure and ac cordingly the springs 98 which urge thebracket 92 against the face or stop Hill are of suitable strength to insure against movement of the bracket away from said stop as the cam 88 15 moved to its lowered or firing position in the guideway '90. The inner end of ,the firing plunger. I64 engages a face He (Fig. 5) of a Joell-crank lever H5, which is commonly refer-red .to'as a firing crank and is fulcrumed upon apin H3 secured to the breech casing 28. Pinned to the inner arm of thebell-crank lever .11.;6 isanadjustable rod I26 which is pivotally connected to the upper end ofa firing lever I22. Thefiring lever I22 has attached to it upper endiai sprin .126 which constantly urges the rod 1251 forward, that is, to the left as viewed in Figs. 5, andacc'ordingly the firing plunger Hi ito its outwardfor .idle position in the bore H2 .of the .right trunnion I28.

,It willbe understood thatwhen the gun. 20 has been set for automaticfire thefiring plunger 104,

after being moved to its ,firing position remains there during the firingof the gun. that is, so long as the gunner holds the handle 48 in its lowered position to maintain the face I06 (Fig. 4) of the slide or cam 88 in engagement with the ledge I08 of the bracket 92, the firing of the gun ceasing upon raising the handle 46 away from its lowered position. When the gun 20 is set for single fire, however, the plunger I04, after being moved to its firing position to cause the gun to be fired, is immediately moved back to its idle position with considerable force by recoiling parts (not shown) of the gun, the handle 46 being held in its depressed position when the firing plunger is moved back to its idle position. As the firing plunger I04 is moved back to its idle position it strikes the upper end of the cam face I02 of the slide or cam 88, said slide at such time being in its lowered position, causing the bracket 92, together with the slide, to move as a unit about alined axes of the pins 86, 94. Accordingly,. the bracket 92 may be described as being mounted for yielding movement together with the cam or slide 88 in a direction generally lengthwise of the path of movement of the firing plunger I04 and at substantially right angles to the lengthwise dimension of the guideway 90.

As the handle 46 is swung upward to its latched horizontal position on the arm 40, the cam 88 slides upward along the firing plunger I04 and into its raised position upon the bracket 92, thereby permitting said bracket to move under the action of the springs 98 back into engage ment with the face I of the'support 22. By providing the above construction it will be apparent that when single shots are being fired the firing plunger I04, in moving back to its idle position, will not impart any substantial amount of shock, through the above-described firing mechanism, to the handle 46.

In order to move the gun 20 in elevation, there is provided a lever I28 (Figs. 1, 6, 7 and 8) secured to one end of a horizontal shaft I30 which is rotatably mounted in bosses of the support 22 and has secured to its other end an arm I3I (Fig.

1) operatively connected through a link I32 to an arm I34 secured to the left trunnion 28 of the gun. 1 Pivotally mounted upon a pin I36 (Figs. 1, 6 and 7) fixed to the lever I28 is a bracket I38 comprising a handle I40 bored to receive a detent I42 (Figs. 7 and 8) provided with a head I44. The upper end of the lever I28 has a forwardly extending flange provided with three holes I46 (Figs. 1 and 7),I'48 (Figs. 1, 6 and 7), and I50 (Figs. 6 and 8) the line of centers I52 (Fig. 6) of which is centered about the axis of the pin I36. The detent I42 is constantly urged to the left, as viewed in Fig. 8, by a spring I54 (Figs. 1, 7 and'8) arranged in a recess I56 (Figs. '7 and 8) of the handle I40 and having its outer end in engagement with the head I44 of the detent. The bracket I68 may be swung upon the pin I36 into positions in which a stud I58 (Fig. 8) of the detent I42 selectively registers in any one of the holes I46, I48, I50, the detent being retained in said holes by the action of the spring I54.

When the stud I58 of the detent I42 registers in either of the holes I46, I48, the gunner, grasping the handle I40 with his right hand and sighting along line I60 (Fig. 1), trains the gun in elevation on the target by moving the handle, and accordingly the lever I28, about the axis of the shaft I30. In order that the gunner shall not have to move out of a comfortable or natural position when he is training the gun on the target by the use of the handle I40, the bracket I38 is movable about the pin I36 to move the stud I58 of the detent I 42 into register in either of the holes I46, I48. For example, a rangy gunner in order effectively to train the gun without being pulled out of position would move the stud I58 of the detent I42 into register with the hole I46, and a short, stocky gunner would move the detent into register with the hole I48. Such change in the position of the'bracket I38 upon the lever I28 may be readily effected by pressing the head I44 of the detent I42 inward against the action of the spring I54 to withdraw the stud I58 from the hole in which it is held in interlocking relation and then swinging the bracket on the pin I36 until the stud moves into interlocking relation with the other hole. The lever I28 is provided with a stop I62 (Figs. 1, 6 and '7) to limit forward movement of the bracket I38 on the lever.

The gun 20 when elevated less than 30 has a tendency during firing to jump about the axis of the trunnions 28, with the result that the gunner when using the handle I40 unconsciously tries to counteract such movement and thus tends to overcontrol the gun in elevation. With a view to steadying the training of the gun on the target when said gun is swung through angles of 30 or less, there is secured to the inner end of a shaft I64 (Figs. 1, 6 and 7) rotatably mounted in a bore I66 (Fig. 7) of the bracket I38, a pinion I68 (Figs. 6 and '7) which, when the stud I58 (Fig. 8) of the detent I42 registers in the hole I50, is in meshing engagement with teeth I10 (Figs. 1, 6', 7 and 8) of an arcuate rack I72 which is bolted to the support 22, the teeth of the rackhaving a pitch line centered at the axis of the shaft I30. To the outer end of the shaft I64 is pinned a crank I14 having a handle which the gunner rotates with his right hand to move the gun in elevation. By providing the above-mentioned rack I72 and pinion I68, when swinging the gun 20 in elevation through low angles there is less strain on the gunner than when the gunner actuates the gun directly through the bracket handle I40. It will be appreciated that there is little tendency for the gun 20 to jump during firing when it is elevated above 30, at which time it is usually firing at fast-moving targets, such as airplanes, and is then more rapidly trained in elevation on the target by the use of the bracket handle I40.

The gun training mechanism disclosed herein is claimed in Pat. No. 2,449,837, issued on application Serial No. 735,722, filed March 19, 1947, in our names.

Having described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In an armed mount, a support freely rotatable in azimuth, a gun freely rotatable in elevation upon the support, an arm which is secured to the support and comprises a handle pivotally connected thereto, a latch constructed and arranged to secure the handle rigidly to the arm or to release said handle for movement with relation to said arm, said arm and said handle being so constructed and arranged that a gunner by applying force to the handle can swing the support, together with the gun mounted thereon, in azimuth, a firing plunger movable in a, fixed path, and firing mechanism comprising a cam which is continuously in engagement with said firing plunger and which is movable in a fixed path disposed at approximately right angles to the path of movement of the firing plunger in response to swinging movement of said handle on the-armitmshitt the plunger :from an idle to :a firing position, said cam being yieldable in .a direction-generally lengthwise of the path of movement or said'plunger under the thrust of said plunger as it 'moves back from its firing to its idle position.

.2. In :a firearm, a firing plunger movable in a rectilinear path, a slide having a .cam face dis posed at a steep angle to said path, a stop, a bracket pivoted for movement generally lengthwise of said path of movement :of the plunger, resilient means for forcing the bracket against the stop, said bracket having a rectilinear guideway which is disposed approximately normal to the path ofmovementof the-plungerandin-which the slide with its cam face in -constant:engagement with the firing plunger is moved, and means for moving the slide lengthwise of said guideway to cause said slide backed up by the bracket through said resilient means to move the firing plunger fromian idle to a firing'position, saids'lide together with the bracket, after thefirearm has been fired, lbeing'swung against the action of said resilient means away from "the stop and generally lengthwiseof the path of movement of the plunger under the action of said plunger operating with considerable .force against said cam face, the construction being such that there is only a slight amount of force imparted to the slide tending to move it lengthwise of said :guideway.

3. In :a gun, a firing plunger movable in a translatory path from an idle position to a firing position and back again tosaid idle position, a stop, resilient means, a bracket which is mowable generally lengthwise of said path and is constantly urged toward said stop by said resilient means, said bracket being provided with a guideway disposed approximately normal to the path' of movement of the firing plunger, a-cam movable along said guideway and constructed and arranged at all times to engage the firing plunger, and means for moving the cam along said guideway tocause said cam held by the bracket against movement away from the plunger to move said plunger from said idle to said firing position to cause the gun to be fired, :said bracket and said cam being movable together at approximately right angles to the lengthwise dimension :of said guideway of the bracket by the "firing plunger as it is moved back to its idle position with considerable force under the action of recoiiing parts of the-gun. Y

4. In an armed mount, a support, a :gun hav in trtL'inions zone of which is provided (a bore, a firing plunger movable in said bore from an .iclle position to a firing position andbackiagain to said idle position, said gun being-movable azimuth, together with the support, and. in elevation with relation to the support, a bracket which is pivotally connected to the support, a

stop, resilient means for normally forcing the bracket against the stop, :a cam mounted for rectilinear movement in the bracket and con structed and. arranged constantly to engage said firing plunger, an actuating rod pivoted to the cam, and .means for actuating the rod and accordingly the cam to cause the firing plunger to be moved in said bore fromsaid idle to said firing position, said rod being movable into a position in which the :axis of its pivotal connection to the cam is in substantial alinement with the axis :0! the pivotal connection of the bracket -.upon the support, in which position the cam "and the bracket are movable as'a unit away from said step against the action of said resilient me'ans' under considerable force imparted to it by the firing plunger as it moves from 'it's firing to its idle position.

=5. EEna firearm, a-support, a firing plunger movable in a =reritilinear path relatively to said -support, a bracket mounted upon the support for, movement about an axis spaced a considerable distance from anddisposed at right ang les to said path of movement of the plunger, said -'braoket having a stop face and having a guideway the lengthwisedi-mensionpf which is disposed at approximately right angles to said axis and also to said path of movement of the plunger, a slide which is movable along said guideway of the bracket'un'til it "engages said stop face and "which comprises a cam face inclined to the path of movementof the slideiin 'said g-uideway, a spring for constantly forcing the cam face cf the-slide into engagement with the firing plunger, and an actuating rod pivotatllyconnected to the-slide and constructed and arranged to move said-slide alone its -guideway until it engages said stop face of the bracket to cause the cam "face of the slide to move the firing plunger from an idle "position to a firingpositiom the -axis of' the pivotal connection between the slide and the rod being in approx? mateal'inement with the axisof'the pivotal con nection between the bracket and the sup-port when the slide engages the stop face' o'f the bracket, thereby permi'ttirig the slide together with the bracket to move as "a unit withrelation to'the support againstthe action of said spring when considerable force is imparted to said cam face by the firing plunger as it moves "back to its idle position.

FRANK W. BEEN-HOLD. JOHN J. MACIEJOWSK-I.

REFERENCES CITED The following reilerences are of record .in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date.

571,854. 'Doer'ing Nov. 24, 1896' 611,096 Barrow n-Sept..'2Q,.189T8 1 661,897 Toll "u, Nov. 13, 1900 e'zrsse Normand i Apr, 9,190.1

1,450,653 -.Eiwehili'us Apr. 3, 1923 1,505,083 Blair n "Aug, 19,, 1924 1,558,586 Rockwell Oct. 27, 1925 1,790,212 Green Jan. 2.7, 1931; 2,069,244 Green M Feb. 2, 193171 $223,891 Krum Dec. 3, 1940 2,327,047 Joyce Aug. 17, 1943" 2,329,668 Trinbach Sept. 14 19,43 

